Duke Gong of Qin

Biography

Family Background and Succession

Duke Gong of Qin belonged to the Ying clan and Zhao lineage of the Qin ruling house and was the son of Duke Kang of Qin. Duke Kang reigned for twelve years, from 620 to 609 BCE, and carried on the hegemonic ambitions of his father, Duke Mu of Qin, continuing Qin's rivalry with Jin. During Duke Kang's reign, Qin and Jin fought repeatedly, with victories and defeats on both sides. In 609 BCE, the twelfth year of Duke Kang's reign, Duke Kang died and Duke Gong succeeded him. Historical sources preserve very little about Duke Gong's early life, and his experiences before accession are unknown.

Reign

In 608 BCE, the first year of Duke Gong's reign, Zhao Chuan, the chief minister of Jin, led troops to attack Chong, an ally of Qin. Chong lay around the present-day border region of Shaanxi and Henan and functioned as a Qin dependency in the east. Jin's action was intended to weaken Qin's eastern influence and cut Qin off from the lords of the Central Plains. Duke Gong did not respond immediately, perhaps because he was gathering strength.

In 607 BCE, the second year of his reign, Duke Gong retaliated for Jin's attack on Chong by sending troops to besiege Jiao, a city of Jin in what is now Shanzhou District, Sanmenxia, Henan. Jiao was an important city on Jin's southwestern frontier and controlled the Xiaohan corridor, giving it considerable strategic value. That summer, Duke Cheng of Jin sent Zhao Dun to relieve Jiao. Zhao Dun was a powerful Jin statesman who had governed for many years; his personal leadership of the relief force shows the importance Jin attached to Jiao. Qin and Jin forces confronted each other in the area. The subsequent course of the fighting is not clearly recorded, but the Qin army failed to capture the city.

In 606 BCE, the third year of Duke Gong's reign, King Zhuang of Chu, then at the height of his power, led an army north to Luoyi, present-day Luoyang in Henan, and inquired about the weight of the Zhou tripods, an episode later known as “asking about the tripods of the Central Plains.” Although this was primarily a dispute between Chu and the Zhou royal house, it reflected the instability of the Central Plains. Qin, as a major western power, was attentive to these changes in the regional situation.

In 605 BCE, the fourth year of his reign, Duke Gong died after ruling for only four years. His son Duke Huan of Qin succeeded him. Duke Gong was buried south of Duke Kang at Joushe, in the area of present-day Fengxiang, Shaanxi.

Major Activities

War with Jin

During Duke Gong's reign, the rivalry between Qin and Jin continued. In 608 BCE, Zhao Chuan of Jin attacked Chong, Qin's ally. In 607 BCE, Duke Gong retaliated by sending troops to besiege Jiao. This was the principal military action of his reign and reflected Qin's continued pursuit of the eastward strategy of his predecessors and its competition with Jin. The scale of Duke Gong's campaigns, however, was limited and did not alter the strategic balance between the two states.

One of the “Three Dukes of Qin”

The Annals of Lü Buwei groups Duke Mu of Qin, Duke Kang of Qin, and Duke Gong of Qin together as the “Three Dukes of Qin.” The phrase appears in the text known as “Lü Xiang Breaks with Qin,” where Lü Xiang, also known as the Jin official Lü Sheng, used it while negotiating with Qin on Jin's behalf. Although it appeared in diplomatic rhetoric, the formulation indicates that Duke Gong still held a certain place in Qin historical memory and was not regarded as an entirely insignificant ruler.

Personal Relations

• Father: Duke Kang of Qin (Ying Ying)
• Son: Duke Huan of Qin (Ying Rong)
• Duke Cheng of Jin (Ji Heitun): in Duke Gong's second year, sent Zhao Dun to relieve Jiao and confront the Qin army.
• King Zhuang of Chu (Xiong Lü): in Duke Gong's third year, asked about the Zhou tripods; Qin observed the resulting changes in the Central Plains situation.
• Zhao Dun: leading Jin statesman who led the relief of Jiao.
• Zhao Chuan: Jin noble who attacked Chong, an ally of Qin.

Historical Assessment

Spring and Autumn Period

• The Annals of Lü Buwei groups Duke Mu, Duke Kang, and Duke Gong as the “Three Dukes of Qin,” suggesting that by the Warring States period Duke Gong was regarded as one of Qin's rulers of some accomplishment and was remembered alongside Duke Mu and Duke Kang.
• The Zuo Zhuan records relatively little about Duke Gong, noting his name as Dao and his wars with Jin without offering a direct appraisal.

Han Dynasty

• Sima Qian's “Basic Annals of Qin” in the Records of the Grand Historian gives Duke Gong only a very brief treatment, recording a five-year reign in error and saying almost nothing about his accomplishments. This suggests that Han historians did not regard him as a ruler of outstanding achievement.
• The Shiji Suoyin gives Duke Gong's personal name as Jia, showing that later commentators preserved different traditions regarding his name.

Later Periods

• The Qing scholar Ma Su examined many issues concerning Qin-Jin relations in his Yishi and organized material on the fighting during Duke Gong's reign, but did not offer him a separate assessment.
• Modern scholars generally regard Duke Gong as a transitional ruler in Qin history: his reign was short and largely continued the eastward policy of his father and grandfather, but it produced no major achievements.